VOLLEYBALL: Pottsville's Thomas signs to play at Division I New Mexico State

jacqueline dormer/staff photo
Pottsville's Sasha Thomas goes up high over Blue Mountain's Lexi Hammer during a match last fall. Thomas has signed an NCAA Division I letter of intent to play at New Mexico State.

nick meyer/staff photo
Pottsville senior Sasha Thomas, second from right, signed an NCAA Division I letter-of-intent Monday to play volleyball at New Mexico State University in the high school library. Joining Sasha for the signing ceremony are, seated from left: Stephen Thomas, father; Lauren Shandor, Pottsville girls' volleyball coach; Sasha Thomas; and Maria Sherakas, assistant coach; back row, Tiffany L. Reedy, principal, Eric Rismiller, athletic director.

When Sasha Thomas came to the United States from Jamaica in 2007, she had no idea how to play volleyball.

A runner as a youth, Thomas decided to give volleyball a try after being encouraged to come out for the sport by then Crimson Tide coach Maria Sherakas.

Four years later, Thomas has turned that opportunity into a Division I scholarship.

The 6-foot-1 outside hitter became the first Pottsville volleyball player to sign with a Division I school in more than a decade Tuesday when she officially committed to play at New Mexico State.

"I wasn't familiar with the sport of volleyball until my former coach Maria told me to come out and play because of my height," the 17-year-old Thomas said. "My athletic ability got me through everything, from learning the game, the skills and everything.

"It's unrealistic. I did not believe I could play for a Division I volleyball team."

A two-time first-team selection to The Republican-Herald All-Area Volleyball Team, Thomas compiled 1,037 kills, 388 blocks and 131 aces in her four-year career with the Crimson Tide, helping Pottsville win the past three Division I crowns.

This past fall, Thomas recorded 410 kills, 58 blocks, 63 aces, 34 digs and four assists as Pottsville went 15-2, won the Schuylkill League Division I title and reached the Schuylkill League title game before losing to Tri-Valley in five sets.

Thomas was the Schuylkill League Volleyball Coaches' Division I Player of the Year, a second-team selection to the District 11 Class AAA All-Star Team and played in the Schuylkill League Senior All-Star Game.

As she prepared to pick which college she wanted to attend, the New Philadelphia resident got together with Tide coach Lauren Shandor, travel coaches Maria and A.J. Serina and some recruiters to put together a skills video that was posted on YouTube.

Among the skills she showcased was her jumping and touching the basketball rim.

The video drew offers from Ohio University, South Florida, New Mexico State and North Dakota State.

Thomas visited the New Mexico State campus in Las Cruces, N.M., in March and knew immediately that was where she wanted to go.

"When I visited, I thought this is the school that fits me best," Thomas said. "This is the school that I needed to commit to. I didn't need to visit any other school.

"The coaching staff is amazing. The girls are amazing."

The Aggies compete in the Western Athletic Conference, which includes Idaho, Utah State, Denver, Texas-San Antonio, Texas State, Texas-Arlington, San Jose State, Seattle and Louisiana Tech.

New Mexico State went 22-11 last fall, winning the WAC Tournament and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, where the Aggies were eliminated by BYU in the first round.

Thomas said playing two years of club volleyball with the Tidal Wave and a year with Maria and A.J. Serina's Anthracite Volleyball Academy will help prepare her for the rigors of Division I college volleyball.

Thomas, who also plays basketball and runs track at Pottsville, plans to study biology at New Mexico State with the goal of becoming a physician.

"The club with A.J. and Maria really helped me a lot because it's a U.S. national team," Thomas said. "We've played in Baltimore, Philly, Washington, D.C., the northeastern qualifier."

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.